When the Ku Klux Klan Came to Sturgis
In August 1924, Sturgis residents were invited to a public gathering with speakers, food stands, and entertainment for the whole family. The invitation came from the Ku Klux Klan.
BackgroundWhen the Ku Klux Klan Came to Sturgis
BackgroundHow Sturgis Lent Nearly $5 Million From Its Water Fund to Development
BackgroundUngoverned Money: Following the Finances of Sturgis
BackgroundWhen Rabies Came to Sturgis: The Epidemics of 1966 and 1970
Sturgis CityThe Sturgis Chamber Is Older Than You Think
BackgroundThe City That Sold Booze: Sturgis’s Municipal Liquor Store
BackgroundSeth Bullock’s Stolen Election-
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How Sturgis Lent Nearly $5 Million From Its Water Fund to Development
Sturgis’s 2023 financial audit reveals nearly $5 million owed to its Water Fund by development districts. The loans are not necessarily improper, but questions remain about repayment, financial risk, and public accountability. Article 2 of *Ungoverned Money* examines what the records show.
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Ungoverned Money: Following the Finances of Sturgis
A new investigative series follows Sturgis’s public finances through budgets, audits, and council records, separating what the documents establish from what remains unknown.
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When Rabies Came to Sturgis: The Epidemics of 1966 and 1970
In October 1966, Sturgis declared a rabies epidemic after cases involving dogs, cats, and skunks alarmed the community. Police were authorized to destroy certain animals roaming after dark. Four years later, the city faced another emergency. The surviving records reveal a largely forgotten chapter of Sturgis history.
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The Sturgis Chamber Is Older Than You Think
The Sturgis Chamber says it was founded in 1946. The historical record tells a much longer story. By 1897, the Sturgis Commercial Club was already promoting the city, and over the next century it became deeply involved in roads, Fort Meade, Bear Butte Lake, tourism, the Motorcycle Rally, and even city-funded economic development.
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The City That Sold Booze: Sturgis’s Municipal Liquor Store
How a broke South Dakota town drank its way out of debt in 1914, did it again in 1935, and never stopped. In 1935, just two years after Prohibition ended, the people of Sturgis voted for the city to go into the liquor business. There was only one problem: the South Dakota attorney general said…
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Seth Bullock’s Stolen Election
For nine months, Seth Bullock attempted to keep the peace in the newly formed Lawrence County, after having been appointed as the sheriff. It was a position he took quite seriously. Deadwood was his new home, and he was going to help civilize it. He would do such without ever having to take a life….
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A Dreadful Companion: Haunting of Hugh Farley House
For months, Hugh Farley and his family, along with their boarder, Joseph Kairns, would be terrorized by an unseen occupant. It all began in August of 1884, in a frame cottage house on North Halsted Street in Chicago. At first, it was just knocking on the walls, and missing food. Soon it would escalate, leading…
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Sturgis Volksmarch: First and Oldest in the Hills
Hiking in the Black Hills has a long history. It was one of the activities that brought the first tourists to the state. Already in 1930, Gypsy Tours were being held that led individuals on hikes throughout the hills. It’s an activity that has been melded into the area. Forty years ago though, a new…
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How Sturgis Nearly Lost Massa
When thinking about landmarks in Sturgis, the Massa-Berry Clinic has to come to mind. Yet, it almost never came to pass. For a year after the hospital was built, it would remain closed as a dispute threatened to end it before it ever really started. That dispute revolved around Dr. Lawrence Massa. New Hospital Whispers…
